Rail-joint.



PATBNTED $33126, 1905.

- G. W.- WHITMAN.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.24,1904.

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' UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

GEORGE W. WHITMAN, OF PLEASANTON, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- I-IALF TO EARNEST DECKER, OF PLEASANTON, KANSAS.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1905.

Application filed February 24, 1904:. Serial No. 195,055.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. WHITMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pleasanton, in the county of Linn and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints,-of which the following is a specification. V V

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a rail-joint having the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. ,Fig. 3 is a transverse section. -Fig'. 4; is a-detail perspective view of the angle-bar peculiarly formed to facilitate attachment of the rail-bond.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters. 1

This invention embodies a special form of rail connection, including peculiar bond for electrically connecting rails such as are used on city and suburban car-lines as one side of the electric circuit supplying motors of electrically-propelled cars traveling on such lines. In the drawings the numeral 1 designates the rails,thrugh which fastening-bolts 2 pass, said rails resting at the ends on a base-plate 3, having the pendent web 4. Angle-bars 5 and 6 are arranged at opposite sides 'of the rails l at the ends, the fastenings 2 passing therethe bolts 2 from displacement.

through, the angle-bar 5 having the horizon-. tal flange thereof provided with lugs 7, coacting with the key-bar 8 to lock the nuts 9 on Lock-pins 10 attachment of the ends of the bond-wires 14 to the ends of the rails l. The portions 13 of each angle-bar are locked on opposite sides of the point at which the ends of the rails meet and form cleared spaces between the upper edge portions of the angle-bars and the head portions of the rails, through which the ends of the bond-wires 14; pass. The attachment of the bond-wires is such that the parts 5 and 6 may be readily cast to form the portions 13, through which the ends of the bond-wires pass. Further, the ends of the bond-wires are accessible to repair the connection of the same with the rails without removal of the anglebars, and the angle-bars may be removed without detaching the bond-wires. The attachment of the bond-wires is also such as to permitthe rails to contract and expand without liability of the ends of the bond-wires becoming detached.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is In a device of the class described, the combination of the rails 1, the angle-bars at opposite sides of the rails and'having the vertical portions of said angle-bars in contact with the under sides of the head portions of the adjacent rails 1, said vertical portions a being provided with the cut-away portions 13 extending downwardly from their upper edges, the cut-away portions 13' being located upon opposite sides of the point at which the ends of the rails meet and forming clearance-s paces between the upper edge portions of the angle- 6 being cut away, as shown at 13, to admit of I bars and the head portions of'the rails, and

bond wires 14- having their ends passing through the cut-away portions 13 of the anglebars and attached to the sides of the rails, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereofIafliX my signature in presence. of two Witnesses.

GEORGE W. WHITMAN. [L. s.] Witnesses:

' E. S. KENNEDY,

W. P. CONKEY. 

